Best lathe for the money?
- Thread starter jdelcue
- Start date
Check with Chris Hightower at www.hightowercues.com they are considered the Best..he will help you with any concerns also..
cuejoey said:
Joey, I love you like a brother, but I would have to respectfully submit that I would have to buy a Porper Repair Lathe. I own one myself, and I just recently (Today) Received my New Porper B Lathe.
I modified my repair lathe and ahve been building Conversion cues with it for the last six months. I will continue to use it for certain job's even though I have a new B lathe. I have been very happy withe lathes ability to accurately perform all repair tasks very effectively.
While I had some problems with the equipment Joe and his people took care of me quickly and very fairly those few times over the last two years.
I am not in anyway knocking the Hightower equipment though in anyway, because I am not familar with it to great extent, and have only been told about it's performance from others who own them in my area.
Have a Great Day
Manwon
The Hightower is the best for the money. I have no complaints with my deluxe cuesmith. Not saying the other lathes arent good to.
http://members.cox.net/albrechtcustomcues/
http://members.cox.net/albrechtcustomcues/
manwon said:
Hello Sir
What does the inside of the spindle look like, the last one I saw was rough inside when it should be smooth.
manwon said:
Thank you, your word is good enough for me, the last time I talked to Joe and Don they said it didn't have to be smooth, you can guess what my answer was.
Michael Webb said:
Michaell, I just began un-crateing my lathe. The inside of the spindle on this lathe is not rough it is smooth. I am going to include a photo of this lathe, when I can I will send another photo of the inside of the spindle.
Have a nice night
Craig
Being a "manual machinist", I would probably buy a larger lathe than most of the ones I've seen used to build cues with. That's just my personal opinion. As far as quality goes, they all seem fine to me. I plan on building plain jane cues when I retire. Just nice woods, stainless joints, and linen wraps.
Last edited:
A man with my same dream....... I too would go with no smaller than a 13x40. If you could find an old cincinnatti or leblond in good shape youll be set. You want a lathe that is rigid enough to do more than one task (turning wood). That way if you choose to make your own pins..... or even do repair machining on the side, you have the equipment covered.Hal said:
Chuck
jazznpool said:
LOL! Nah...it'd just be a hobby on the side. You wouldn't believe how prevalent that question has become in my family and circle of friends, though...some variation of leaving school for a life of pool...lol
Eh, in my opinion, college is a great place to be for pool! Not that that's why I still attend...lol
Seems like alot of college Guys and gals in our area have been into pool over the years. We've recruited and worked with a few of them in league during that time, some of which I hated to see leave when their time was up. Had one guy that I believe was somewhat of a natural, picked up on things fast, was ranked low, and always came through in the clutch no matter how tuff his oponet was.
On the lathe, I have been happy with the deluxe, It paid for It'self in repair alone. I guess It depends on the person as to opinion, and what the lathe will be used for primarily, altough I have been able to do both with success on It, but at the same time I would'nt mind having a large machine lathe also to add to the collection.
Greg C
On the lathe, I have been happy with the deluxe, It paid for It'self in repair alone. I guess It depends on the person as to opinion, and what the lathe will be used for primarily, altough I have been able to do both with success on It, but at the same time I would'nt mind having a large machine lathe also to add to the collection.
Greg C
Lathe question
In my opinion, the Hightower Delux lathe is the better for the money. You can buy better equipment, but for alot more cash. I've had my Cuesmith for about 7 years without a problem. It runs and performs as good today as it did new. Maybe better. It only requires very small maintence and stays accurate.
There are many other lathes out there that will do the job. Some require additional "fixes" to do tapering and some other functions. This can cost a load of dough.
I hear alot about the Porper machines. I am sure they are fine pieces of equipment. I can't offer an opinion as I've never seen one ( besides pictures). I do know they are quite a bit more expensive.
I also have to consider the after sale support. Chris is tops. Over time, he has become a dear friend. I can't say that about too many suppliers these days. He always has the time to talk with you about cue building. Just can't beat the combination.
In my opinion, the Hightower Delux lathe is the better for the money. You can buy better equipment, but for alot more cash. I've had my Cuesmith for about 7 years without a problem. It runs and performs as good today as it did new. Maybe better. It only requires very small maintence and stays accurate.
There are many other lathes out there that will do the job. Some require additional "fixes" to do tapering and some other functions. This can cost a load of dough.
I hear alot about the Porper machines. I am sure they are fine pieces of equipment. I can't offer an opinion as I've never seen one ( besides pictures). I do know they are quite a bit more expensive.
I also have to consider the after sale support. Chris is tops. Over time, he has become a dear friend. I can't say that about too many suppliers these days. He always has the time to talk with you about cue building. Just can't beat the combination.
cuebuilder said:
I've had the same experiences, and could'nt aggree more. Chris Has always gone above and beyond to help Me way before I even bought a lathe from Him, as well as long after, maintaining has been easy, and parts very reasonable in price If anything did need replaced, even though that was usually due to My own user error. He's a very good bussiness man that I would'nt hesitate to recomend. I've never had a problem in any of My dealings with Him.